Strickland looked at Dr. Coutras with a faint smile. 思特里克兰德看着库特拉斯医生，脸上带着一丝微笑。

"In the end they get you, and you are helpless in their hands. “最后他们还是要把你抓住，你怎么挣扎也白费力气。

White or brown, they are all the same." 白种人也好，棕种人也好，到头来都是一样的。”

Dr. Coutras felt that it was absurd to offer expressions of regret in so terrible a disaster, and he took his leave. 库特拉斯医生觉得对于这种可怕的疾病说一些同情的话是很荒唐的，他决定告辞。

Strickland told Tane, the boy, to lead him to the village. 思特里克兰德叫那个名叫塔耐的男孩子给他领路，带他回村子去。

Dr. Coutras paused for a moment, and then he addressed himself to me. 说到这里，库特拉斯医生停了一会儿。最后他对我说：

"I did not like him, I have told you he was not sympathetic to me, “我不喜欢他，我已经告诉过你，我对他没有什么好感。

but as I walked slowly down to Taravao I could not prevent an unwilling admiration for the stoical courage 但是在我慢慢走回塔拉窝村的路上，我对他那种自我克制的勇气却不由自主地产生了敬佩之情。

which enabled him to bear perhaps the most dreadful of human afflictions. 他忍受的也许是一种最可怕的疾病。

When Tane left me I told him I would send some medicine that might be of service; 当塔耐和我分手的时候，我告诉他我会送一些药去，对他的疾病也许会有点儿好处。

but my hope was small that Strickland would consent to take it, and even smaller that, if he did, it would do him good. 但是我也知道，思特里克兰德是多半不肯服我送去的药的，至于这种药——即使他服了——有多大效用，我就更不敢希望了。

I gave the boy a message for Ata that I would come whenever she sent for me. 我让那孩子给爱塔带了个话，不管她什么时候需要我，我都会去的。

Life is hard, and Nature takes sometimes a terrible delight in torturing her children. 生活是严酷的，大自然有时候竟以折磨自己的儿女为乐趣，

It was with a heavy heart that I drove back to my comfortable home in Papeete." 在我坐上马车驶回我在帕皮提的温暖的家庭时，我的心是沉重的。”

For a long time none of us spoke. 很长一段时间，我们谁都没有说话。